I thought I wanted a camper

I've got an Escape 19 on order for the reasons listed: dual axle and GVWR of 5000lbs (dry weight of well under 4,000)

Doubt we'll ever load it to 5000 lbs.

They're way higher quality than stick built trailers and retain resale value like crazy. Only problem is demand has skyrocketed so high that they're currently out to December 2021 delivery dates. Luckily we placed a deposit a month or two ago before things went real crazy so our delivery date is March.

I originally wanted to go for a pop-up but being apartment dwellers in the Pacific Northwest and wanting to be able to camp through all four seasons, there'd be no way we'd be able to ensure the canvas was fully dry after trips.

I was jonesing bad for an Opus 2 but there was just no way to make it work for our living situation.

 

Forest River 16BHS. With all my mods / loaded up we're around 4klbs. Truck is 6klbs. We're overweight and it handles fine.

The truck is a bit under 20' long because of front / back bumpers plus DCLB. With the rack I added to the back, the trailer's around 21.5' total.





The truck and trailer are both lifted - the trailer is about 6" lifted total with tires. I don't run a weight distribution hitch or a sway hitch, but do have sumosprings to stiffen up the rear. I use a Tekonsha P3 brake controller, and highly recommend it.

 

The "dry" weight of a camper is the camper, no battery no water no propane tanks just an empty camper the weight tends to mount up fast. So when you go camping you load the truck up people gear etc fill the water tank 20 gallons + 160LB of water, propane tank full of propane 37# clothing, toys, food just saying it doesn't take long. You want this to be a pleasurable experience not white knuckle driving. Forget about milage it is not a factor every T.V. does no better than 10-13 MPG.

 

I have a 2020 TRD Off Road and just bought a Rockwood Mini Lite. Dry weight is 4,700 lbs. As I live in Texas and take it to the Hill Country I never go through real mountains. I did buy the weight distribution hitch as well as a brake controller and so far no problems. It is a dual axle trailer so it is pretty smooth. I hate to admit how ignorant I am, but I did not realize what a difference the S4 shift mode is until I tried it. Definitely takes the drama off the drive and keeps the transmission from bouncing back and forth. All in all...God is good and this thing rocks!

 

The Micro-Minnie lineup are all but one tandem axle and all but one less than 4000lbs dry. https://www.winnebago.com/models/product/towables/travel-trailer/micro-minnie-1

Good trailers, great inside amenities and after 2018 MY they had a factory lift which gets the sewage drains from ~6" ground clearance to ~11" clearance so you can yank them through rough terrain.

Lucky you being in Seattle for an easy pickup https://escapetrailer.com/faq/. I'd love to own one of those but I've never seen one for sale in Colorado. No dealer network, and never seen one on Colorado Craigslist. I would love to have fore and aft windows on my 1706fb, such a nice feature on a small trailer.

 

Yeah, if they go up for sale used, they're usually sold within 24 hours. Sometimes even less than 6 hours. They're pretty highly sought after.

Lots of people just make a vacation out of going to pick theirs up if you can spare the vacation days. I mean heck, that's what travel trailers are for!

 

Are you all using brake controllers when your towing your travel trailers?

 

Absolutely

 

Here’s a link to towing laws in each state.

https://drivinglaws.aaa.com/tag/trailer-brakes/

 

Definetly.

 

Link to good classifieds site for molded fiberglass campers (Casita, Scamp, Escape etc.) https://www.fiberglass-rv-4sale.com/

 

as long as your payload, GCWR and your GVWR are in spec then it doesn't matter what anyone says. you don't need to tow 80% of your max limit, you don't need to tow under 4,000lbs. make sure to follow your laws and recommendations for weight distribution hitch, brake controller, ETC. if toyota rates the truck at 6400lbs of towing then you are obviously safe to tow that much. its 2020 not 1974. and i don't think towing at the max rating in any truck would be fun. but don't skimp out on trailer features because you think you need to be at a certain weight other than what your door sticker says.

 

Micro Minnie 1708B is dual axle and 3400lbs dry weight.

https://www.winnebago.com/models/product/towables/travel-trailer/micro-minnie-1